By KEVIN JACOB
Staff Writer
Welcome all to another edition of Kickin It with KJ. I was absent last week but fear not for I’ve got a couple things to go over this week. We’ve got some artists new and old that I’ll be talking about in this issue so I’ll get right into things.
2 Chainz: Based On A Tru Story Part 2: Me Time: Tity Two Necklace is back with his second studio album BOATS 2. After becoming a people’s champ of sorts last year with all of his guest spots and solid album Based On A Tru Story, 2 Chainz has without a doubt been one of the most entertaining rappers in the industry as of late. Continuing off BOATS 1, Me Time starts off with “Fork” and it’s a great start to the album. The album only gets better with cuts such as the “Juvenile” influenced “Used 2”, “Extra” with Rich Homie Quan, and “Feds Watching” which I hated at first but it’s really grown on me. The thing I appreciate the most about this album is surprisingly 2 Chainz growth. The album sounds sharper then his debut. There are still a lot of Trap hits that Chainz is known for but there are also a lot of soulful tracks which kind of reminded me of some of his older mixtapes. Which in my opinion were better then his debut. Overall, I was impressed with 2 Chainz sophomore effort and I can fully say I’m excited for BOATS 3 if/when it ever drops.
Rating: 8/10
Worlds Fair – Bastards of The Party – New York collective Worlds Fair has finally released their full length Bastards of The Party and it was a project I’ve been anticipating for a while. Although I was a bit disappointed at there being only 13 tracks the music more then made up for that. The project sounds like what the “New, New York” should sound like. Gritty Dreamy beats and grimy lyrics lace the project and everything works pretty well. It’s cohesive, different, and unlike any other project I’ve heard lately other then the Flatbush Zombies tape (more on that later). If you don’t peep the whole tape at least check out the closer “Blacklisted”. Just needs to be heard.
Rating: 7.5/10
Key! – Fathers Are The Curse – Atlanta rapper Key, formerly of the Two-9 collective dropped his newest collection of music in Fathers Are The Curse. Out of all of the members of Two-9 I always found Key to be pretty strong in terms of charisma and style that he had in the group so I was awaiting this project heavily. I was a bit disappointed with the tape. He included a lot of songs that were previously heard mainly on a EP he dropped back in march. The new songs are okay but there’s nothing other than “Guess Who” that really engages the listener to Key’s music. The excessive auto tune was a turn off for me as well. Hopefully Key can bounce back.
Rating: 5/10
Flatbush ZOMBIES – Better Off Dead – The Zombies of Flatbush are back again with their second full length project since last summer’s “DRUGS” with Better Off Dead. It hasn’t been out for long but after multiple listens this is definitely not only one of the best projects I’ve heard lately, but it could be one of the best things I’ve heard all year. The Zombies for those who don’t know have been associated with acts such as World’s Fair, A$AP, the underachievers, and Pro Era for igniting a renaissance in the rap scene of New York and with good reason. Better off Dead is New York. From the beats to the lyrics, everything about this tape reminds me of the empire state.
The growth from DRUGS to Better off Dead is amazing. All three members of the group have gotten better with their lyrics, especially member “Juice” who really wasn’t to strong on the DRUGS tape has really developed his own flow and style to contribute heavily to Better off Dead. Eric Ark Elliot handles most production here and the beats are more layered around this time which shows his growth as well. I’d tell you the best songs on this project but the truth is the whole thing is great. I literally didn’t hear one song that I didn’t like (although “Palm Trees” is just a little too long). But if you need to hear one off of Better off Dead it should be “Club Soda” which includes a menacing verse from Action Bronson. The Zombies prove with Better off Dead that they aren’t just a fad. The Zombies are indeed well and alive.
Rating: 10/10
That’s all for this weeks edition of Kickin It with KJ. Hopefully you enjoyed and I should be back again next week with some more tunes to give my two cents on. Peace everybody.
